Catalog Assembly Line

Product photography for catalogs was the bread and butter of every studio when I started in the business. It was as financially lucrative as it was tedious.

The product photos in this bushwacker’s gift guide are typical of the assembly line approach required for this kind of work.

However, today’s output doesn’t require the kind of craft skill that was employed in the old days of film.

Putting a highlight on a machete blade or holding shadow detail in a black pocket flashlight wasn’t easy. Even a studio setup of a dude standing on a foam mat took a lot of time to manufacture.

I don’t miss those days one bit. The studio was a guilded cage for me and I’m glad to have escaped.

About the author: I am Stephen Kennedy, an experienced photographer with more than 2500 completed sessions in all 50 US states.